Kitten's Claws
by Sadie Dragonfire
Summary: Duo is kidnapped and experimented on by a strange company. Warning! Slashyaoi [NO LONGER UPDATING]
1. Caught

**Title:** Kitten's Claws   
**Author:** Sadie DragonFire   
**Disclaimer:** Gundam Wing doesn't belong to me. You can sue me if you want, but you wouldn't get much.   
**Warning:** No real warnings for this part. Not yaoi....yet. Alternate universe.   
**Summery:** Duo is kiddnapped and undergoes some strange changes.   
**Pairing:** not listed (ask me later) 

This idea was once an original story that went and died some where in my head. Well, now the idea has come back and latched onto Gundam Wing. Its a little weird. 

C & C always longed for. 

_____________________ 

Duo woke up with a foul taste in his mouth and a pounding headache. This is not unusual situation for him, however, being bound and gagged to a metal table was a little out of the ordinary. He let out a startled squawk, much as he was able, and attempted to struggle against the bindings. Pain flared across his shoulders and hips. No such luck. After another minute of struggling, he gave up. Allowing the rest of his body to go lax, Duo observed his surroundings. 

It appeared to be a hospital of some sort. Metal instruments and gleaming white surfaces, strange, scientific look contraptions arching over him, and a there was a slight medicine smell to the air. 

[Lovely.] Duo thought. [Where the hell am I and how did I get here?] His head was bounding in time with his heartbeat and made thinking difficult. He turned his face against his shoulder and tried to rub the gag off. The sound of a door opening interrupted him. 

"Goodness, your awake!" a female voice announced. Duo lifted his head. A middle aged woman with wispy hair tied into a ponytail and serious black eyes regarded him thoughtfully. 

"Untie me!" Duo tried to say, but only managed, "Ummph mm!" 

"My, my, we really can't have you awake, no not at all," she continued in a firm, bright, perky voice, rather like an aged cheerleader. "I will just have to take e care of that, now wouldn't I?" clucking her tongue, the woman busied herself with one of the trays of instruments. 

"Hey! You freak, let untie me! What the hell are you doing?" Duo shouted through the gag, still only producing garbled sounds. The woman hummed happily, as if completely unaware of his existence. Finally, she turned around with a needle. Duo yelled and struggled harder. 

"There we are!" She deftly inserted the needle into his left arm, causing him to freeze lest he jerk it free and cause more damage. An unpleasant burning sensation spread out from the needle, searing through his arm. "There, there, all done now." she rubbed at the puncture mark and beamed at him, "You'll just go to sleep and when you wake up again, well......" 

With a small sigh, the woman turned and went back to fussing with the tray. A wave of dizziness swept over Duo, causing his vision to go fuzzy. 

[No....wait...I have to....stay awake....] Darkness swarmed up and swallowed him. 

________________ 

Heero lounged casually against the brick wall, an inconspicuous figure in leather jacket and blue jeans. The sent of smoke and liquor drifted out from a nearby bar, tickling his nose. One hand tapped the wall behind him, the other fingering the gun securely hidden in his pocket. Duo was late. His mouth twitched with hidden irritation. That idiot. 

He checked his watched. Well past the time the two them should have left. Eyes scanned the territory once again, but failed to find a certain brown braid. There was no help for it. With a frustrated growl and a quickly suppressed burst of worry, Heero pushed himself away from the wall and made his way back to the safe house. 

[Baka.] 

________________ 

[I feel like shit....] was Duo's first conscious thought as he came back to awareness. His entire body ached, it suddenly felt has if his skin was far to tight. His eyes burned painfully behind his closed lids and his nose, which was all blocked up for some reason, throbbed as if broken. [Anyone get the name of the bastard that did this?] 

He carefully pried his eyes open, then let out an agonized cry when light stabbed into then. Sobbing in pain, Duo turned his head to the side, away from the light, wishing he could curl up to protect his eyes but afraid of the pain it would cause. 

"Oops." he heard someone say. Instantly, the faint glow of light beneath his eyelids faded, taking most of the pain with it. Duo sighed, relaxing. "Sorry 'bout that. I just went and forgot 'bout how much it hurts an' stuff when you first wake up." The someone continued, sounding decidedly male, "'S been weeks since it happen'd ta me. Sometimes I jus forget what it was like before." 

The words sounded odd for some reason, a strange resonance that he wasn't used to hearing when people talked to him. "What...." he tried to say, his voice harsh and painful in his dry throat. 

"Hmmm?" the other murmured, then cool fingers gently brushed over his arm. He jerked, the contact sparking pain in his sore muscles. "You thirsty? They said I could give ya some water, if you was thirsty." 

Duo swallowed a couple times and finally managed to produce a 'yes'. The other made a soft sound, which was followed by the rustling of clothing and stepping feet. Duo winced. Did he really have to stomp like that? There was the sound of water being poured, sounding over loud to Duo's ears, then moments later the cool rim of a glass was pressed against his lips. A hand slid under his head and held it up so he could drink. 

After a few sips, Duo pulled away from the cup. The other allowed his head to drop back unto the pillow. "Thank you." 

"No trouble. I mean you *are* new kin and everythin'." 

The words blurred slightly in his mind making little sense. "Oh um, yeah." he considered opening his eyes again, but wasn't quite ready to risk it. 

"Yep! I think its just great, ya know. 'Cause its been jus me and that other guy for a while, but he went all weird in the head and was taken away. Your the only one that made it since him. An' me o' course. An' I hear there's this other girl who made it too, but they're not letting anyone inta see her." The boy rattled one for a while and Duo feel into half-stupor listening to the soothing sound of his voice. 

It was a long time later, broken by infrequent requests for more water, before the pain faded to a bearable level and real sense returned. Along with the urgent need to go pee, Duo suddenly remembered another important fact. 

"Oh SHIT!!" [I'm late to meet up with Heero!] He surged up in the bed, letting out a yelped at the reaction it sent through his body and opened his up-till-then-closed eyes. 

The room was dim enough so that everything was black and white, but the details were still sharp and clear. He could easily make out the delicate flower border on the wall as well has the larger details of the two doors, bathroom and supposedly the way out, lack of windows, a large mirror on one wall, and of course the boy sitting in the chair across from him. 

"What's wrong?" he inquired, cocking his head. His hair was pale in the dimness, lightly brushing his shoulders, eyes dark pools. He appeared no older then Duo and sat curled up in the chair in a surprising show of agility. 

"I have to get out of here..." he swung his legs to the floor, hissing slightly. "There's someone I have to meet. What did happen to me, anyway?" 

The boy shrugged. "You were gathered for the project. Same as me an' all the others. Now your like me. Can't leave, not ever." 

"The hell I can't leave! What make you think you can keep me here?" Duo snapped, trying to ignore the fact that he was rather helpless at the moment. 

"Nothin'. I'd be real sad if ya left, but I'm not the one keeping ya here. Its the people who run this place." the boy extended his limbs in a feline stretch, yawning. 

Duo pushed himself to his feet, clenching his teeth. He noticed with some relief that he was clothed in lose pants and shirt. First things first, bathroom *then* escape. "What...what did you mean by 'I'm like you'?" 

"That your genes been messed with. Go look in the mirror, you'll see, plain as day." 

Duo frowned, but made his slow, painfully way to the privy. A fumbling hand located the light switch, the resulting illumination was dim as the bedroom light. A flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye caused him to turn his head. His reflection stared back at him. A choked sound worked its way out of his throat. 

"Oh God..." he staggered forward to get a better look, hands clutching at the sink. His braid slipped over his shoulder to bang against the porcelain. 

"See?" the boy stood behind him, over-long canines displayed in a feral grin, "Jus' like me now." 

Duo's amethyst eyes gleamed back at him, each marked by a single silted pupil. Cat's eyes. 

____________________ 

Quatre leaned carefully over Heero's shoulder, wanting to read the screen without disturbing the Wing pilot. "Still nothing?" 

"No." Heero answered shortly, as he continued to scan through lists and lists of OZ prisoner reports. 

"Its been three weeks." 

"He's a high level prisoner." Heero snapped back, "They'd be moving him around constantly and probably keeping his reports coded." 

"Or they just killed him once they got the information they needed." 

The glass Heero was drinking from shattered in his hand. Quatre yelped and rushed to the bathroom. Heero regarded his wounded appendage thoughtfully. 

[Quatre is right,] The Perfect Soldier noted, [OZ seldom keeps prisoners this long unless they offered a political advantage. I should give it up and stop wasting my time.] It was true, but something about the whole situation bothered him. 

For one, OZ had yet to use Duo has bait, which would be the logical maneuver to capture the other pilots. For another, they weren't nearly this careful when it came to hiding a prisoner, even a such an important one. There simply weren't any codes tha the Perfect Soldier couldn't break through. It was as if OZ hadn't captured Duo at all. But then....who had? 

Quatre rushed back into the room, one of their many first aid kits clutched firmly in one hand, a towel in the other. He crouched next to Heero's chair and gently went about removing the bits of glass. 

"I know you miss Duo." the blonde said softly, wiping the blood away. 

Heero gave a non-committal grunt. 

"I understand. But....you have to face the truth. You can't go on like this, when there is nothing to look for." getting no response, Quatre sighed and applied disinfectant before wrapping his hand with soft bandages. He stood up, taking the supplie with him. "We'll be meeting up with Trowa and Wufei again in few days. Maybe they'll have some suggestions." 

"Aa." Heero replied vaguely. 

___________________ 

Duo's knees trembled as he lowered himself back onto the bed. The entire world seemed to be reeling and his breath was harsh in his throat. [What's happened to me? What am I? What's happened?] He was distantly aware of the boy standing in front of him. 

"Calm down a bit," the other said, "Ya getting all panicky and that's not good. Could react badly with tha drugs an' all that." 

Duo looked up at him, eyes wide and chaotic. He viciously grabbed the boy's arm, hauling him down so they were face to face. "What did they *do* to me?" 

"Changed ya. Jus' like me. Cat crosses they said, " the boy smirked. "Better than them wolf crosses. Those freaks are real idiots! Nasty too, more wolf then person." he tossed his head, giving Duo a flash of markings on his forehead. Duo grabbed he others thick ruff of bangs, yanking them back to get a better view. 

Small, black lines marked his forehead like tiger strips, creating a small V pointing towards his nose. Fur covered the entire length of his brow. Duo could clearly the hairs, though the rest, besides the lines, were skin colored. With trembling fingers, he brushed over it. Soft and light, not thick like a true cat's would be. The boy sighed, eyes fluttering shut. 

"Stop that now, you're really not my type." he murmured, his voice containing a strange vibration. Suddenly realizing how much the other was enjoying his fearful touch, he pushed the boy away. 

"Bastards," he growled, "I'm going to get them for this, soon as I get out of here and get myself back to normal." 

"There is no normal. This is life, forever." the boy said in rather somber tone, perched in the chair again. He cocked his head at Duo's look, fangs bared in a grin. "You're a lucky one. For looks only ya eyes changed. Me, I got fur all up and down my back and these teeth! I tore my lips up quite a bit 'fore I got used ta them." he extended his hands, gazing at them, "Least my hands are all normal. there was this one guy who had claws on his hands. Was real nasty lookin' and hurt 'im alot...."

"Like I *care*," Duo snarled, anger building up inside of him. Who was this kid that he could act this way?!? Like having your entire world turned upside down was no big deal?! Duo reached up and dug his hands into his scalp. Everything was wrong! The world was all out of place. Images were too bright, too clear. Sound too loud, too deep, pricing his eardrums. It was too much! 

With a growl, he swept out his arm, cleaning the bedside table and sending metal pitcher crashing to the floor, spraying water everywhere. The container impacted the hard floor with a harsh clattering and horrible ringing. Duo wailed in protest when the sound exploded in his ears. 

"Christ!" the boy yelped, frantically shaking off the water that splashed on him. "I told ya not to get upset! You're gonna be all screwy in the head for while, ya jus' gotta take it easy!" 

Duo pulled his knees up to his chest, tucked in his chin and covered his ears with his hands. "Its not real, it can't be real. I'm going to wake up tomorrow with Heero scolding me for waking him up and everything is going to be the same. Its not real..." 

No matter how many times he repeated it, nothing changed. 

_____________________ 

The boy who called himself 'Lynx' watched his new companion through the observation mirror set in the other's quarters. It had been nearly four days since the braided boy's awakening and while his physical state was greatly improved, his mental state was still on the rocks. At least he excepted the fact that his situation was very much real. Sadly, he had moved from there to trying to kill whoever entered the room. Which was why Lynx watched him from a secure distance. 

He was rather disappointed, yet still held onto his hope. Lynx was a follower. And the one thing a follower wanted the most was a good leader. This new comer had appealed to him has being just the leader he was looking for. He had a good scent, Lynx trusted him the moment he was allowed to visit, which was much more then could be said of the some of the scientist, doctors, and administrators that ran the Project. And he didn't like the Wolves one bit. 

Either way, this one was certainly worthwhile. If he could keep his wits about him and pull through this with a more-or-less acceptable amount of sanity, then he was worthy of Lynx's devotion. Lynx grinned slightly and lightly scratched the fur on his forehead. 

[His cute too, but just not my type. Too bad, really, I'd love a mate.] Smirking slightly at his lecherous thoughts, he almost missed the approach of one of his least like doctors. Almost. Nose twitching in annoyance at have to breath that foul sent Lynx scuttling off the table he'd been sitting on and into a corner. Footsteps and wave of sharply chemical perfume and the human's own, unpleasant odor, marked her arrival. 

"No need to hide from me, little cat." the woman spoke in soft, cultured voice that carried the undertones of threat. "I'm only here to give your medicine." 

Lynx winced, then the all-too familiar ache in his body reminded him that it had been a while since his last injection. Hissing under his breath, he slid out into the open. "I woulda gotten it myself." he muttered, extending his arm. He could take it quicker and easier in the neck, but he rather disliked letting that woman get to close to his vitals. 

She smiled, showing perfect, pearly white teeth and firmly placing the hypro-spray against his arm. "You've been deliberately waiting to long for you injections. That's dangerous. We can't have you going into an attack, now can we?" 

"Of course not." he half-snarled in return, then closed his eyes against the brief flash of pain and burning as the drug was entered into his system. The vague dizziness and muscle pain that had be plaguing him for the past three hours faded, replaced with a fresh, rejuvenated feeling. Despite the pleasant sensation, he pulled his arm tight against his body, fingers clawing at the injection point, as if he could dig the drug out of his system forever. 

He was allowed full rein of the compound (with few exceptions) and allowed to leave into the outside world whenever he please. Absolute freedom. But he always came back. Always came for *this*, for the drug his body could no longer function without. The drug that had been custom made just for him, binding him to them and their ambitions tighter then any chain. 

With a soft snarl, Lynx retreated back this corner, obsidian eyes glaring at the doctor until she left. 

__________________ 

TBC... 


	2. Changed

**All That Was Stated in Part One, Remains True in Part Two**

C & C yes please! 

_______________________ 

Duo twisted the metal leg of the chair, turning it until it resembled a candy twist. Then he twisted it back to its normal position and repeated the processes. This had become a rather amusing past time over the past couple days. Bend the leg that way, bend it this way. He'd already made a heart out of one of the other legs. 

Yes, he was bored and knew it. No one came in to visit him, perfectly understandable since he would have attacked them, all the food was delivered via slots in the wall. He had considered breaking the mirror to see who was behind it, but he knew they would just gas him again and replace it. Sigh. 

"Bored, bored," he said in sing-song voice, seeing how far he could bend the leg. His strength had increased greatly in the first few days, he guessed he was better then Heero now. That thought made him grin. 

Strength wasn't the only part of him that had improved. The blockage in his nose had cleared up and added an entirely new dimension to his life. He could now distinguish the four different types of chemical cleaner that had been used in his room. He could detect the laundry soap that his sheets were washed in *under* his own scent. The chair he was re-shaping smelled strongly of another male, that guy who had been in here in the beginning. He could even pick out the same scent lingering on his hands from where he'd grabbed the other, despite having washed. 

Duo couldn't recognize half the things he smelled and it was rather overwhelming, even more so then his increased hearing and sight. Actually, seeing in the dark was kinda cool. 

He tried to tie the leg in a bow and failed. With scowl, he shoved the chair away and scratched at the stain on his shirt. They'd given him new clothes this morning, but he'd already spilt some food on them. The reek of fish stock was annoying. "Someone could at least give a book or something. Maybe a crossword puzzle." He tugged at his braid and winced. The only shampoo available was a cheap kind that smelled awfully and made his hair dry and rough. 

He jumped to his feet and sauntered over to the mirror and banged on it. Gently. "Hey, you! Think you could give me some better shampoo or something?! My hair's a wreck! Come on! Your mother was a jackass!" he stuck his fingers in his mouth and pulled downward, wagging his tongue at his reflection and at the people he knew were watching him. He considered mooning them. Chuckling, he started to turn away, but stopped half-way, glancing back. The light from the ceiling reflected in his eyes, giving off a greenish glow. He shuddered and looked away completely, going to find something to entertain himself with until lunch came. 

Mmmm, maybe he could try reshaping the bed legs.... 

__________________________ 

Something was wrong. It becoming harder to draw breath, his muscles ached and burned, and his head felt thick and heavy. He sprawled on the bed, trying desperately to breath normally, but only managing harsh pants. 

[It hurts....what's wrong....I can't breath....] he clutched at his chest as the constriction grew tighter. Panic blazed. [Can't breath...make stop...can't breath...] His sight became muddled, images blurring together. He trashed on the bed, fighting against whatever was causing this agony. 

Something pressed against his neck, heralding a pinprick of pain and flash of heat. He jerked away from it and continued to thrash. Slowly, the discomfort began to ease, his lungs loosened, tension in his muscles seeping away. 

[Air!] he thought in relief, taking big gulps of the precious stuff. He lay still for a moment, just breathing, rejoicing in this simple action. As the rest of the pain dissipated, Duo became aware of someone beside him. He quickly pushed himself up, only to be stopped by what felt like a gun on his neck. 

"I wouldn't. The poison in here won't kill you, but it will make you wish you were dead. Believe me, I designed it myself." The woman informed him, the corner of her lip curled up in a cruel smirk. She stank of perfume and blood and chemicals, along with her own personal scent. If maliciousness could be given an odor, Duo was certain this was it. 

"Just for me? How sweet!" he responded cheekily. 

"Don't flatter yourself, I developed it for all geno-crosses." she nudged the hypro-spray a little hard on his neck. "I've come to explain a few things to you, how you answer determines whether or not you keep that witty little mind of yours." Duo's lips tightened at her threat and he remained silent. 

"That's a good boy. Now, what you just experienced is the start withdrawal. You've noticed the strange taste in your food, yes? No, don't nod, my finger my slip and inject you. Just answer me." 

"Yes." he hissed, disliking her more with every second. 

"There's a love. Well, that taste was a drug, tailored to suit only you. Slowly but surely you have become addicted to it. Now your body needs it has much as your blood. None was put in your lunch or breakfast today, which is why you started into withdrawal. If we'd left you alone much longer you'd be dead." 

"Good to know you care." 

"I don't. You're just an expensive experiment and killing you straight out would be a waste of time and money." 

"Honest, I like that." 

The woman's mouth twitched. "You are a clever one. Listen well, if you want your freedom from us, you're going to have to work for it. There is a high call for security guards, assassins, and spies with your unique abilities. We hire you out, you do the job, you succeed and come one step closer to receiving the antidote to your addiction." 

Duo's eyes narrowed. [She hadn't said how long I would have work for them. Me smells a trap. There may not even be an antidote.] his eyes flashed to the instrument in her other hand, the empty one, [Shit. I can't escape them. I'm going to have to work with this. Maybe if I can get back with Heero and the others, we should be able to come up with something.] 

"Thinking bit too long, darling, my finger is getting tired." 

"Not much of choice, is it?" Duo granted her with his best Yuy Death Glare (tm). Not as good as the original, but worthy enough. The woman hardly reacted. "Very well then, we'll play it your way....for now." 

The woman smiled, the kind of smile that send little children running for cover. "Forever, cat-child, forever." Removing the hypro-spray, she stood easily. "Your training begins now. Lynx will show you the way." With that, she left the room with a clinking of heels. 

Duo sat up completely, rubbing at his neck. [Bitch.] He pushed himself to his feet just as a pale head appeared in the doorway. 

"Is it safe ta come in? Not gonna kill me, are ya?" 

Duo grinned, "Not unless you push me." 

"I'll keep that in mind." the boy from before smirked, moving into the room. He seemed to glide more then walk, each movement studied and graceful, not wasting a signal ounce of unnecessary energy. He moved like a dancer. 

"Good idea. Are you Lynx?" 

"Yup! Lets get ya some proper clothes and start ya training. Oh, yeah, what do I call you?" 

Duo smirked, moving liquidly next to and past the other boy. "Call me Kitten(1)." 

______________________ 

"This is a gun," the man informed Duo with a hint of self importance. "You will be using this a great deal in your new line of work." He showed the weapon to the scornful Gundam pilot. It was nifty little handgun, complete with silencer for Duo and Lynx's sensitive ears. 

"Really?!?" Duo bounced eagerly, braid tossing about with his movement. The man smiled one of those tolerant "Your just an idiot so I'll forgive you" smiles that are better suited to dogs. 

"Yes, indeed. Now, you hold it like this, there you go, and stroke the trigger don't pull and....." 

There was a series of muffled, near silent bangs and suddenly each of the man shaped targets contained perfect heart and head shots. Except one which had a smiley face. 

"....urrm....I think that's enough gun training. Lets move onto knives, shall we?" 

_______________________ 

"Wow! Where the hell did ya learn those moves?!?" Lynx gushed from his position on a table. "I mean...wow! I'm not nearly that good and I've been training for...like, weeks!" 

"Oh....I picked things up here and there." Duo evaded, brushing off his black shirt. He started to head back to his room, a shower firmly in mind, when Lynx grabbed his arm. 

"No, no, Kitten, you have a new place now. Right next ta mine. C'mon, I'll show ya." Jumping off the table and maintaining his grip on Duo's arm, Lynx hauled down a confusing labyrinth of hallways. After countless turns and twists, they stopped in front of a door. It was set in hallway full of them, but this one was different. For this one had been painted a particularly vivid shade of neon green. 

"It glows in the dark, too." Lynx said with a certain amount of pride. 

"Uhhhh...." 

"Neat, uh? I painted it so I could always find it. You wouldn't *believe* how easy it is to get lost in this place. 

Duo thought of the maze they had moved through to get there and decided that, yes, he most certainly could believe it. Lynx pushed open the door. Beyond was a combination living room, kitchen, and dinning room. Everything was in muted tone of beige, brown, and gold, and smelled strongly of cleaning fluids, food, Lynx, and a few other people scents. The back wall curved and was broken with eight doors. Lynx pointed to one with a neon green six point star on it. 

"That's mine, ya pick whichever other one ya want. The clothes and stuff you picked out are there by the door, when you feel like putting them away." Lynx flung himself on the couch with an 'umph' and snagged the remote. "Might wanna settle in 'fore dinner." he suggested, flicking on the TV. 

Duo shrugged. Why not? The room he chose held only a bed, a dresser, a desk, and an armchair. No windows. He approached the bed and drapped himself on it, a puff of fabric dust and smell of detergent accompanied his movements. He star at the ceiling above him. 

[Another unfamiliar ceiling.(2)] he flipped onto his back and pressed his face into the pillow. The image of a face drifted into his thoughts. [Heero.] He missed his friends. He missed his Gundam. Most of all, he missed that stony faced, death-threat spouting psychopath. He missed Heero. Drifting between sleep and awareness, he entertained himself with fantasies of a hot spring, some alcohol, and Heero...naked. 

_______________________ 

"I've heard its a bad idea to eat and work on the computer at the same time." Wufei remarked dryly, forced to hold his plate in his lap as the aforementioned computer was taking up most of the tiny table. 

"Hn." Heero respond. Quatre lightly kicked Wufei under the table. 

"Leave him alone, it was the only way I could get him to leave his room." the gentle blonde frowned, sipping gingerly at his hot tea. Wufei made a face and poked at his rice. 

Heero just ignored them. "I've compiled a list of various companies and organizations that would gain something by capturing a Gundam pilot. So far, I've narrowed the list down two hundred and six."(3) 

The other pilots glanced at each other, the same unspoken thought passing between them. A cross of 'He's still at it' and 'Will he ever give up?'. Locating Duo had been their main objective for the past three months, but with nary a clue in sight, hope of ever finding him was quickly fading. Wufei had already given him up for lost. Quatre, surprisingly enough, was next. Trowa figured he was dead from the beginning, but saw no harm in still searching, so long as it didn't interfere with any mission.

Heero held onto hope with a death grip. He *would* find out what had happened to Duo, even if it was just a report of his death. Something inside of him would never leave him alone if he didn't. He frowned and worked on making the list smaller. 

"That's good," Trowa said, "Keep the list on file, we may need it later." 

"Aa." 

Quatre set his cup in a small space on the table and leaned forward. "Why don't we go out tonight? To a club or something." 

"It has been awhile...." Wufei said slowly, not overly thrilled at the idea of going some place loud and crowded, but eager to go out none-the-less. 

"Hmm-mmm," Quatre gave him a grateful look. "I know of the perfect place, it'll be fun." 

Trowa nodded, he would go anywhere Quatre wanted. Wufei agreed as well. Everyone looked at Heero. And stared. And stared some more. Finally, Heero noticed he was the center of attention. 

What were they talking about? Oh, right, going out. 

"Maybe." 

"Please Heero, it will be good for you." Quatre prodded. 

"You guys go out, I'll think about it. If I decide to go, I will." he paused in his typing long enough to scarf down a sandwich. 

The others sighed. Well, it at least it was something. 

_________________ 

Down in the gym built just for them, two young male tussled and fought, tearing and pulling at each other with enhanced strength, trying to see who could get the advantage. High above, in an observation deck set in a wall, an old man watched their antics with a tender heart. 

His babies. They were so beautiful. 

Sighing in contentment, the man lowered his sore, aging body into a nearby armchair, positioned close to the window so he could continue to see his lovely darlings. Their displays of strength and agility thrilled him beyond words. It was his theories, his research that enabled their genetic alterations. His decades of work, all devoted the enhancement of the human body. And all of it had been preverted by this trice damned Project. 

His heart ached when he thought of all the failures, those wonderful, beautiful boys and girls, all dead or killed. His precious children, meant to be given the gift of super-natural body, the joys of physical perfection through the addition animal gentics into their own, of them brought to a painful, unnecessary end. He should have known better then give his research to these idiots. 

But oh, how he had longed to see his theories in act. And the founders of the Project had promised him he would. Well, he had. Those that suceeded; the five with wolf and canine genes, and the three with cat genes, brought him such joy when he thought of them, observed them, but it wasn't enough to make up for the pain of all those loses. Nor did the pain end there. For Zenos (the company which ran and founded the project) had devloped drugs that would forever keep his angels under their control. 

It was simply wrong and he wouldn't stand for it. 

His babies deserved freedom! They were still human and all humans had the rights to make their own lives. No matter the cost, no matter what happened, he would make sure they got it. 

Heaving himself to his feet, he returned to his work on the antidote. (4) 

_________________ 

The nurse glance up as Lynx and Duo, both covered with bruises, sratches, and (in Duo's case) bite marks, walked into the infirmary. The two boys had wide grins on their faces and were looking rather breathless. 

"Not you two again." she sighed, hauling out the bandaids and disinfectant. 

They just beamed at her. 

________________ 

Dr. Arashino leaned over her co-worker's shoulder, nearly shoving her breasts in his face. "A new job?" 

"Hai," the man swallowed thickly, "Security, two nights only. They're expecting a break in on either day." 

"Very well. Send in the Cats. Now," she flung her leg over his chair and straddled his lap. "Shall we discuss something else? Like my up coming promotion?" 

"Hai....." 

* * *

"Again? We just had an assignment yesterday! I only *just* got the blood out my hair!" 

"Sorry, its orders. Oh, yeah, you have to take Wraith with you." 

"Whoo-ooh, homicidal bitch-kitty. This jus' keeps on gettin' better an' better." 

"At least you don't have to work with a wolf." 

"Don't push it, pal." 

______________________ 

Toshi was feeling pretty confident. He had already made it past the outer defensives of Mugendai Enterprises and into the building itself. According to the initial reports and scouting, there were only three guards protecting the inner structure. Simple. 

He ran down the hall had a half-crouch, keeping an eye out for the guards and any cameras that might still be online. He skidded to a stop at an intersection of halls. From his memory of the map, he knew he still had a right turn, three left turns, and another few hundred feet to go before reaching the room where the information was stored. He continued forward. 

There was a sound behind him, the quick shuffling of feet. He spun around. Nothing. Frowning, he scanned the darkened area best as he was able. He could have turned on the little pin-point flash light attached to his right glove, but feared alerting the guards. When nothing showed, he figure it had been his imagination and moved on. 

He made his first turn, counting the doorways until he reached the next one. Once again, he heard a shuffling behind him. And again. He twisted and spun, almost catching something out of the corner of his eyes, but it flitted away before he could spot it. Panic sped up his heart, sending it racing. His breath grew short. Forgeting the guards, he snapped on the light and waved it around franticly. Nothing, nothing at all. 

[No, there is something there! I can hear it, I can feel it!] Tappings and soft hissing added itself to the shuffling. Something scrapped arcoss his back. 

Letting out an involentary scream, he yanked his gun free from its sheath. "Whoever you are, stay back! I have a gun!" he shouted, voice hitching slightly with his fear. A soft chuckle sounded to his left. He aimed and fired repeatedly, gunshots echoing in the space. He lifted his hand in the direct of the shots, illuminating the several neat holes in the wall. 

There was another laugh, this one deep and threatening. Toshi began to shake, losing all sense. A touch ghosted over the back of his neck and he lost it, shoting all around. Anything that lingered in the hallway would have surely been hit by the flying bullets, but there was no reassuring screams of pain or explosions of flesh and bone. 

Finally, there were no more bullets, only the 'click, click' of an empty clip. Silence reined. Toshi's breathing was the only sound. Slowly, the panic and adrenaline ran down, allowing some intelligence to return. [Whoever, whatever that was, its dead now.] He began seaching the area with his flashlight, looking for the body. 

A pale face with flashing eyes appeared suddenly before him. 

There was only a brief glimbse before he was pounced, arms twisted back, weight straddling his back. One arm snapped, sending agnoy searing through him. He sreamed and thrashed, only increasing the hurt. 

"Hold still, stupid, it won't do you any good." the person pinning him down informed him. He twisted his head back, getting an impression of long reddish hair and a femine face. There was something wrong about the eyes and smile he couldn't place, couldn't get his mind to focus on. The person let out a pericing whistle that seemed to stap straight through his skull. 

A stray thought drifted through his fuddled brain. [At least Petora can still make it through.] He slowly became aware of footsteps. He somehow managed to get his eyes focused enough to noticed the dark shape standing in front of him. The angle his hands were held at caused his flashlight to reveal black clothing, blood covered hands, and brown braid hanging over a slim torso. 

"Caught one for you, Kitten." the woman on his back said with obvious pride. 

"Very good, Wraith," a deep male voice returned, sounding slightly disgusted with something, "I go the other one." he extened his coated fingers. 

Toshi's breath chocked in his throat. No....Petora..... 

"Great! Job finished, lets kill this one and go home." 

Hands closed around his head and twisted. 

________________ 

Duo scrubbed at the blood on his hands, watching it run down the sink. He wouldn't stop until every last bit was off. He couldn't stand the smell or the feel of it against his skin. Cleaniness had become a bit of an obsession for him. He suspected he had something to do with the alteration to his body. 

Lynx had admitted to some behavior changes aswell; mainly his fasination for heights and absolute love of the chase. According to him, he'd been a quiet, mild mannered kid, with no particular intrest in fighting. Now he adored the physical challage of battling another person more then anything else. Hell, look at Wraith! There were time where she was so much like a cat it was unnerving. She wasn't allowed out of the compound with him or Lynx as escort and not allowed in puplic period. Her in-human appearance made that impossible. 

"Oi! Kitten!" 

Duo glanced over his shoulder, pulling himself free from his thoughts to notice Lynx's scent. "What is it?" 

"I wanna go out!! We've been working to much freakin' much an' I wanna get away!" he voice took on a horrified quality, "Besides, Wraith hit on me again....." 

Duo laughed. Checking his hands to make sure they were clean enough, he dried them on a nearby towel. "Sure, why not? Lets go have some fun!" 

____________________ 

Heero clicked off the laptop for the first time in days and picked up the address Quatre had left him. Aw hell, why not? 

___________________ 

A half an hour later, he arivied at the given destination. The music was loud, the people were tacky, the alcohol was cheap. Not bad. Blending easily with the crowd, Heero slipped inside. His scaning eyes quickly located the other pilots. 

Quatre and Trowa were dancing--or at least, Quatre was dancing, Trowa was just sort of shifting around, eyes rivited to the blonde pilot. Wufei was sitting at a table, having managed to find some drunk to rave at. Catching each of their eyes long enough to let them know he was there, Heero went to bar and ordered a mild drink. 

The music pounded in his ear, obstructing his thinking, which was for once a blessing. The bartender place his drink on the counter. He snagged it and lifted it to his mouth, observing the entire area in several quicksweeps. His glance passed by the entrance--and he froze, glass half raised. 

There, by the door, multi-colored lights dancing off a hip length braid and reflecting in violet eyes. 

Duo. 

___________________ 

(1) The source of the title. And no, don't ask me where it came from, just don't. ~_~;; 

(2) Evengalion quote!!!!! ::flashes victory sign:: 

3) Popular, aren't they? (you do know I'm making this up? ~.~) 

4) Everyone who thought bitch-queen really had an andidote to the drug, say"Aye!" ::dead silence:: 


	3. Found

**All That Was Stated in Part One, Remains True in Part Three**

C & C is very welcome and considered the light of my day ^_^;; 

________________ 

Sweaty bodies pressed around him on all sides, filling his nose with their pungent scent, which still failed to cover the odor of alcohol, smoke, and other chemicals. The air vibrated with a strange mix of aggression, sexual tension, pleasure, and depression. 

Duo was loving it. 

It was nice change to be around people who smelled, mostly, normal, as opposed to a bunch of mad scientists that made it their job to torture others on a daily basis. Lynx latched onto his arm, leaning into him to whisper in his ear. 

"I'm gonna go play!" 

Duo nodded, giving him an encouraging wink. The slender boy grinned back at him, eyes flashing under the bandanna his was wearing. He turned and slipped into the crowd, vanishing between one blink and another. [Well, he's off to find a toy for the night,] Duo grimaced, [Which means I get to listen to him squeak the bed springs all night back at the hotel. Huh, maybe I should do the same.....] They had ten hours till their next injection and planned on living it up. 

His eye burned and he just stopped himself from rubbing it. Dislodging the contact would be a *bad* thing. Plastering a wide grin on his face, he wove his way through the crowd, aiming for the dance floor. The smell was a tad overpowering, but when he concentrated, he could pick out individual ones. It still amazed him what you could learn about a person from their scent. 

A too-thin brunette whose body paint offered more coverage then her string top and skirt sidled up to him. "Wanna dance?" she offered in a slightly husky voice that spoke of a smoker. He shrugged. 

"Sure." Not overly appealing for a dance partner, but it hardly mattered. He could snag another one later. She beamed at him and preceded him the remaining feet to the dancing space. Duo paused at one point, an almost familiar scent tickling his nose. He considered it for breath, then unable to identify it, dismissed it. 

And over at the bar..... 

_______________ 

Heero stared at the lithe body as it moved through the crowd, his dark clothing making him a black hole in the sea of brilliant colors. Half his brain was certain it was figment of his imagination or a case of mistaken identity. The other half wanted to know what kind of idiot he thought he was. Honestly, how many teenage boys in the world had hair longer then most girls, wore it in a braid, and dressed in black? An unmentioned third of his brain was listing the various ways to kill his idiot partner for making him worry so much. 

Before his brain had the chance to fully catch up with his body, he had left the bar. The press of bodies was frustrating, causing him to continuously lose sight of Duo. He pushed and shoved, ignoring calls of annoyance or interested dancers. Though a short eternity of jostling bodies, he reached his quarry. 

Duo danced--more like an in-place wiggling of hips and shoulders--between three people, his long sleeved black shirt open down the front and skin-tight black jeans accenting every jiggle. One of the male dancers pressed in closer, hands sliding down to cup Duo's nether cheeks. 

Jealousy surged and Heero found himself lunging forward, wrapping an iron grip around Duo's upper-arm and hauling the other boy to him. He favored the touchy-grabby culprit with the kind of glare that makes grown men scream like girls and call for their mommies. The guy paled, turned tail and ran. Satisfied, Heero turned his attention to Duo, who was regarding him with wide eyes. 

[He's alive. He's safe.] The thought hit suddenly, followed by a rush of sheer relief that made his knees weak. He fought the feeling off quickly and glared at Duo. The braided pilot opened his mouth, he even produced a few apologetic noises, but failed to say anything intelligible. 

Heero's glare darkened, mind working. [The best place to beat some answers out of him is at the safe-house.] He concluded. With that in mind, he dragged the startled boy in the direction of the door. 

______________ 

Lynx sighed, spinning away the latest potential lay with a shake of his head. The other shrugged and left on his own search. [Just not a good crowd tonight.] he decided, tugging his vest straight. His throat was a little dry, so headed for the bar. After getting his drink, it occurred to him that he hadn't checked out the tables yet. Humming along with the music, he headed to the shallow dais that held round tables and metal chairs with mesh backing. 

And that is where he saw him. A strong, beautiful profile, sleek black hair pulled back into a short tail, muscular arms displayed by a snug tank-top. A vision. Perfect. With the grin of the terminally love-struck, Lynx headed over to charm this newest interest. 

______________ 

[Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. He's going to kill me. Oh shit.....] Duo stared fearfully at Heero's back, confusion muddling his thoughts as he was hauled like a sack of luggage. [I didn't know they were in this city! Last time I knew....was two-three months ago, 'cause like an idiot I didn't contact them.] 

The reasoning he'd come with over that time--not wanting the others to risk themselves rescuing him, wanting to be *off* that damn drug before they'd try, and more--all of it suddenly seemed really stupid. Of course, his main reason had been not wanting to face them like *this*, some freakish human-cat creature. [He's going to kill me.....] 

By the time they left the building, Duo's brain snapped back into place. [Wait a minute...] He shook himself free of Heero's grip and braced his hands on his hips, fighting the urge to shiver as the chill night air ghosted over his bare chest. 

"Well, nice to see you too, Heero." he beamed, still not quite sure whether to play innocent, like he hadn't been *not* in contact for months, or guilty/sorry for causing worry, or amused by the whole deal, as if he didn't expect anyone to care. The last being only partially un-true. 

Heero paused, as if confused by the casual statement. He wavered, then his expression firmed. "We are going to the safe house." 

"Oh?" Duo raised an eyebrow, bringing his arms across his chest. [I'd love to, dear, but this isn't a good time! If I leave and don't show up at the hotel later, Lynx will come after me, and he'll find me too. I really, really don't want him to find out about you guys.] "We are? Maybe later, I've got someone waiting for me...." 

"We are going to the safe house." Heero repeated. "You are going to tell me--us--where you have been all this time." The look in his eyes promised that if the information was not volunteered, it would be removed by force. Duo bit his lip, suddenly uncertain. 

[If I go, he may not let me leave.....] "I might, but I do have some other business tonight, so I'll have to leave early...." 

"Damnit, Duo!" Heero impassioned shout overrode his words, getting startled looks from the people hanging around. Remaining words died on Duo's lips. Heero spoke softly, but strongly. 

"You were gone for three months. You abandoned your Gundam. You left no information as to your whereabouts. No one saw you any where. There were no plane tickets, no rented hotel rooms, cars, anything. You're good Duo, but not that good. You may as well have vanished off the face of the planet." Heero stepped closer to the gapping pilot, nearly in his face. Duo swallowed. 

Heero's scent filled his nose, strong and forceful with his anger, still that wonderful musky, spicy smell he remembered from sharing a bed with Heero a couple times. Only so much stronger now. He shivered in response to something other then the cold. 

"You owe me an explanation." Heero nearly whispered, gazing straight into Duo's eyes. He blinked. "Are you wearing contacts?" 

Duo choked, bringing his hand up to his face and shaking his head. 

"What?" the perfect soldier demanded, soundly slightly miffed. 

"Nothing." Duo announced, voice shaking with repressed laughter. "Yes, Heero, I'm wearing contacts." [Okay, so I handled this badly. Now what?] 

"Heero! Heero, I thought I saw....DUO!!" The aforementioned pilot glanced up in time to see Quatre just as the blonde grabbed him in a tight hug. "I can't believe you're alive!" 

"Some faith you have." He teased, gingerly returning the hug. Quatre pulled back to smile at him. 

"We were so worried. We looked for you everywhere, couldn't find hide or hair of you. Where have you been?" 

"Well," Duo dodged, "Its complicated." Quatre's smile shifted briefly to a faintly disapproving frown before shifting back. 

"You'll have plenty of time to tell us later." he leaned in conspiratorially, "Heero took care of Deathscythe the entire time." Quatre winked. 

"Oh." [Do I ever feel like a heel.] "Thanks." 

Heero huffed and turned away. "Get the others, we are leaving." 

"Right!" Quatre spun off. Not surprisingly, Trowa was already coming through the door. Quatre snagged him on the way past and hauled him back in. 

"I wasn't kidding about having someone with me." Duo said into the uneasy silence that followed Quatre's departure. 

"Tough for them." 

"Heeeerooooo...." Duo whined. Heero's eyebrow twitched. 

_________________ 

"I don't swing that way." Wufei flatly informed the young man sitting in the chair next to him, the annoyance in his voice clear. 

"Ya ever tried?" he persisted, leaning closer to the Chinese pilot. 

"No!" Wufei flared back, seriously offended. He pushed back his chair and stood up swiftly, swaying slightly as the alcohol rushed to his head. The other boy reached out a hand to steady him, dark eyes softened with concern. 

"Too much to drink?" 

"Don't touch me!" Wufei shook off the hand, frowning. "I'm fine." 

"Touchy, touchy. Ya really need ta loosen up, sweetie." the boy grinned, eyes traveling the expanse of Wufei's body. The pilot found himself blushing. "Have a place to stay t'night? I gotta extra bed...." 

"Enough." Wufei snapped. "I am not interested. Leave." Taking his own orders, Wufei decided it was time to relocate. 

"Ya sure, sweet stuff? I'll be 'round all night, if ya change ya mind." he smiled suggestively, eyes glinting. "Jus' call for 'Lynx'." 

"I won't." Wufei returned stiffly, thinking he should just leave altogether. There was a flash of blonde and Quatre was firmly attached to his right arm. 

"We found Duo! Okay, Heero did, but he's here and he's okay!" Quatre spoke in a rush, barely containing giggles. The small Arabian always got a little silly when drinking. 

"At least okay for now. Heero looks ready to spit nails." Trowa commented thoughtfully, eyes resting on where Quatre was currently cutting of the circulation to Wufei's arm. The Chinese pilot made a valiant effort to free himself. 

"Lets go then, before Yuy shoots him and leave us to deal with the body." Lacking any other alternatives for freedom, Wufei settled for pinching Quatre to make him let go. It worked. 

"Ow!" 

"See ya 'round, darling!" 

"Ooh, new boyfriend?" 

"Say that again and you will regret it." 

"Trowa! Wufei's threatening me!!" 

"......" 

______________________ 

The hallways were annoyingly quiet and devoid of life as Wraith paced through them. Not a single person appeared for her to work out her frustrations on. How bothersome. And those dratted littermates (1) of hers had run out as well. She frowned deeply, finger combing her curling auburn hair. 

In all honestly, Wraith wasn't overly fond of Lynx or Kitten, not in a friendship way at least. But she would defend either to the death if need be. Besides, being around them or working with them simply felt right, in a very basic sense. 

And they weren't here!! 

She let out an explosive breath, running her nails along one white and gray painted wall. The curved, sharp, implanted claws left little marks in the cheap paint job. [At least,] She thought wryly, [They let me out of my cage.] Do to her rather…. unpleasant response to the modifications, Wraith had been kept regulated to her own private section of the complex. For a long time, not even the threat of drugs or punishment had gotten through the primal, all-consuming rage she experienced. 

Finding out about the other two cat-human hybrids had not helped matters much. They both looked so human! A few framed pictures decorated the hall and Wraith paused by one, examining her reflection in the glass. 

Over large iridescent green eyes lacked any whites, marked only by round pupils, giving the impression of madness. She could see perfectly in near complete darkness. The lower part of her face was pushed out more then was standard, like a short blunted muzzle; the most prominent aspect her large squashed cat-like nose. (2) She could distinguish the difference between Pepsi and Coke at 100 yards. When she lifted her upper lip, the sharp teeth within her mouth were exposed, the incisures slimming down the razor points that rested ever-so-lightly on her thin lower lip. With the enhanced strength in her jaws, she could break human bones. 

It was a face that was decidedly other then human. 

The rest of her body appeared normal, for all it had been toned down to muscle and sinew and moved as though she had bones where no one else did. The only other abnormality was the talons. Put in place after her body had adjusted to its new state, the white semi-translucent nails had been fashioned from her own bones, extending from the tips of her fingers to end lethal dagger-like points. 

[And by the time they made me those, the idiots had already given up worrying as to whether or not I looked human. Of course, that's what Kitten and Lynx are for,] with a snarl, Wraith yanked the picture free from its moorings, feeling pleased at the sound of shattering glass. Un-hurriedly, she left the scene, not interested to found destroying things. The doctors had the nasty habit of upping her meds when she got violent. 

They just had no sense of fun. 

Well. She was just going to have to find *someone* to entertain her. After all, the boys wouldn't be back for a while. [Lucky bastards, they can go out without having to wear a mask to hide their lower face. Jerks, wish they would hurry home so that I have someone to play with.] 

Wraith paused suddenly, tearing away little chips of paint. Weren't the Wolves using the gym today? 

With a delighted, childish laugh, Wraith took off down the hall. No one would get upset she if happened to beat someone up during training, after all. 

_________________ 

Lynx smiled brightly watching as the lovely Chinese boy was hauled off by his friends. He took a few deep breaths, firmly recording the angel's scent in his mind. When the small, delicate seeming blonde brushed near him, Lynx picked up a familiar odor amidst the already suspicious smell of gunpowder and metal. 

Kitten. 

He blinked, cocking his head at the small group has they vanished rapidly into the crowd. Hmm. Not overly surprising, this was a very touchy-feely place. More then likely the two had danced or even just brushed against each other. 

Still... 

With a slight frown, Lynx once again began to circulate the building, keeping half an eye and nose out for Kitten. 

__________________ 

"I don't care." 

"Hidoi yo!!" (3) 

Heero snorted at Duo's protest and began studying the pavement intently, keeping the braided one in corner of his eye in case the idiot decided to run for it. Somehow, strange has it seemed, having Duo around again made everything feel…right. It was annoying as hell, but he couldn't place it. And it wasn't just Duo's physical presence either. Heero knew that if Duo decided to run off again he would still feel the same…. that is, as long has he knew Duo was alive and had a general idea of his whereabouts. 

He snorted again, this time in response to his own idiocies. Duo muttered to himself (something degrading towards Heero's parentage) and played with his braid, shifting uneasily from foot to foot. Abruptly he paused, head turning toward the entrance to the club. "The others are coming back." Duo announced, voice caught between annoyance and nervousness. 

Heero turned his gaze to the doorway, but failed to find anyone familiar. "I don't see…" A moment later Quatre and Trowa, with Wufei in tow, came out of the club. "Oh." 

Wufei spotted Duo and frowned at him. "Do you have any idea the mess you have caused?" He demanded, somewhat unsteadily. 

"No, should I?" Duo responded brightly. Wufei glared. 

"Lets go." Heero interrupted flatly. He stalked over to Duo and snagged his arm. "You're riding with me." Those violet eyes, oddly dulled by the contact-why the hell was he wearing those anyways? ---widened in protest. 

"Nani??" he snapped, hauling back on Heero's grip and breaking it with a supple arm twist. "Don't I have a say in the matter?" 

"No." Heero responded. 

"Duo, do you have another way to get to the safe-house?" Quatre interrupted swiftly, before Duo had the chance to speak. The braided one's mouth opened and closed a few times before his slender shoulders slumbed in defeat. 

"No, I don't." 

Heero nodded curtly, as if Duo had just admitted his own stupidity in even thinking of disagreeing with Heero. He made a grab for Duo's arm, only to be neatly evaded. 

"I think I'll ride with Wufei," Shinigami announced brightly, "Better yet, I'll drive." 

"WHAT??" 

"Sorry man, you look wasted." 

"I'm driving." Trowa said diffidently, "We came together, Heero came by himself." 

"Cool, then I'll ride with guys. See ya at the safe house, Heero." With that jaunty declaration, Duo snagged Quatre's arm and hauled the slightly tipsy boy off, calling for Trowa to 'lead the charge'. 

Heero stood on the sidewalk and seethed. [That, that, that…baka!] Some part of him was certain that Duo would try to escape without him there to watch and monitor him. Not a chance! Duo was staying until Heero had a play-by-play run down on where the hell he had been the past three months *and* a written-in-blood promise never to do it again. With a quick farewell to the (stolen) motorcycle he had ridden in on and followed the others to the car. 

___________________ 

Duo was going to die. 

This was torture 

Being squashed against a car door by Heero Yuy was difficult enough all by itself and that's _without_ the hypersensitive senses. From this position, Duo could easily detect Heero's own natural musk under the life smells that gathered on everyone. Food, dirt, cleaning solvents, oil, metal, other people. Then there were the natural ones. Sweat, musk, saliva, the concentration of scent was…there… 

Oh God. 

Franticly killing that line of thought, Duo focused his sense of smell on the door next to him-it's amazing how much a door can smell---and his mind on the less pleasant thoughts of what he was going to tell the others. 

[Secret mission? That might work. But it requires details. Lots of details that I have to keep track of. Kuso.] Duo pressed his forehead against the glass window and determinedly ignored the way Heero's hip kept on pressing into his, despite the blue-eyed boy's attempts to prevent it. [Of course, I could always tell them I was kidnapped by aliens….] 

And if the situation became too desperate, he could always tell the truth…but only as a last resort. 

__________________ 

Wufei shoved open the door to the safe house, wove his way around the pile of pizza boxes waiting for someone to take them out, and through the worn down living room. 

"Where are you going?" Trowa questioned, subtly leading Quatre in with a slight pressure on the shoulder. Heero and Duo followed behind, Heero's hand once again having become attached to Duo's upper-arm. 

"Bed." The black-haired pilot snapped, "And keep the music down Maxwell, if you keep up all night I'll shoot you over breakfast." He stomped into the hall and was later followed by the sound of a door slamming closed. 

"Boy, does he know how to make guy feel missed." Duo said deadpan, looking rather put out. Heero snorted and shoved him hard in the direction of the couch. Startled, Duo stumbled into it. "Ugh!" He protested, recoiling from the sofa, hand coming up to cover his nose. "Gross! Didn't you guys wash that or something?" 

"Its not that bad," Quatre said vaguely, brushing his fingers over the faint stain on the arm. In truth, he thought it was vile, but they had lived in worse. "Well, it is a little musty…but we really can't get it cleaned…" 

"Enough." Heero broke in, annoyance clear in his voice (if not his face). He fixed Duo with razor glare. "You. Talk. Now." 

[Oh Heero, I just love it when you get all forceful and manly.] Duo forced the words down with a swallow. Not the best time to piss his sometimes-partner off. He took a second to filter-out the offensive smells in the room and get his thoughts in order before perching on the edge of the coffee table. 

The quickly thrown together story rose easily to his lips. "I joined up with this group that's been working on the sidelines of the war. Most of it is undercover work, stealing and destroying information, killing off high officials in OZ companies and organizations," A partial truth, they had been hired out to bring down OZ and Romefeller owned businesses several times, "The whole nine yards. The organization is very secretive; I am under orders not to contact anyone I knew from the 'outside' or anyone not approved in general until my business with them is done. Orders that I just broke." He shot Heero an annoyed look. Inwardly, he was very pleased. 

It was close enough to the truth that he would have to worry more about hiding information (which is easy) than remembering manufactured information. Of course, the part about orders was perfect and something Heero would understand. And better yet, not question. [Ha, take that Perfect Solider.] 

"Another group working against OZ?" Quatre spoke up eagerly, displaying his wonderful grasp of the obvious, "Who are they, what are they called?" Duo spread his hand helplessly. 

"Sorry, man, I can't tell you. Believe me," He insisted sincerely, "I would if I could." 

"It could be to our benefit and theirs. If we know who their operatives are, we can assist them in their work." Trowa spoke up with calm logic. Duo could have hit him. 

"Indeed." Heero crossed his arms and stared at some point beyond Duo's right shoulder. It seemed now that his curiosity was satisfied, he had no more interest in Duo's well being. 

[Ah, my team. I can just feel the love flowing.] 

"In fact, wouldn't they be interested in knowing about the rest of us? More Gundam pilots assisting them would speed their efforts." Heero continued, his expression neutral. For some reason, it sparked Duo's suspicion. 

[What do you care? You like your fighting right up front where you can see it. No, Heero Yuy, you just aren't the kind to take to the background.] Heero's eyes flicked briefly to Duo's face, before shifting seamlessly back to the wall. [He doesn't believe me.] The thoughts clicked into place suddenly. Duo had never been one ignore his intuition and knew it was time to vacate. 

"That's not a bad idea, Heero. I'll bring it up in my next report. Speaking of which," Duo bounced to his feet with faked enthusiasm, "I have to go, my play time is over." He checked his watch out of the corner of his eye. Still six hours to go. An hour of that would be spent walking and hitching rides back to the club, where the others might follow, but he didn't know if Lynx was still there or at the hotel room they rented. What a mess. 

"What?" Quatre demanded, "Now? We haven't seen you in months and you're *leaving*? What about you're duty has a Gundam pilot?" 

"Hey, I'm doing my duty! Just different from the rest of you. And look, like I told Heero-and I wasn't kidding-I had someone with me and if I don't report back to him soon I'm going to be in deep kimchee. And that's without him knowing I talked to you guys in the first place." He was up moving before they could get it in their head to keep him there. Not that they could, but he didn't want to be reduced to fighting them. 

"So report and come back." Heero stated firmly. 

"Better yet, I'll contact you soon has I'm free. Which should be soon, seriously." Duo moved backwards to the door, trying to look reluctant to leave instead of wary. [Please guys, give me a break…] 

Trowa started to stand up, only to pause when Heero shot him a quick look. He lowered himself back down and placed a soothing hand on Quatre's lower back, quieting the smaller blonde. Duo missed the look. 

"Look, honestly, its good to see you guys again. I have missed you and…it won't be that long, really." Duo realized he was pleading and despite his desperation, he really didn't want to go. He forced a deep breath. "So, buy now." 

"The number here 366-5190, it's protected so you can use it anywhere." Heero announced in a monotone, already standing up and turning towards the kitchen to tend to other business. "Call when you have reported in." 

"Heero!" Duo snapped, "I told you…" 

"Call." He finished, making it an order. Duo bristled, then assumed a cheerful smile. 

"Ja." Duo said at the others, pulling the door open behind him and vanishing beyond it. 

Five seconds later, Quatre surged out of his seat. "I can't believe you! After all the fit you throw and that protective caveman crap, and the damned obsessions of the last three *freaking* months and you LET him walk out the door?!?!" 

It occurred to Trowa that it was time to take his lover to bed and away from the nearest sharp objects. 

"No." Heero replied over his shoulder, causally tossing the tracking device from hand to hand. 

__________________ 

Duo was snarling to himself by the time he returned to the Complex. After walking half the way to the Hotel room-so upset he missed several rides that would have shortened the time-he found that Lynx was not there and did not show up there in the following two-and-half hours. Finally he just headed back to the Complex on his own. Thankfully they'd left some money in the room so he was able to rent a taxi. He still had to walk some of the way (not can't let anyone else to close the entrance to sub-terrain building), but it was better then nothing. 

He showed his pass to Security and went through the quick DNA scan, the only thing on his mind his bed and the hope of shutting out the world for the next few hours. 

"Mr. Maxwell?" The soft, slightly worried voice of one of his doctors broke into Duo's internal raging and guilt fest. 

"What?!" He snarled out loud, instinctively baring his teeth. The habitual worried, helpless look on the older man's face didn't shift a bit. 

"We wish to discuss something with you." 

"Well, what is it?" Duo demanded, reaching up to scratch at his nose, which was feeling weirdly clogged. 

"I am sorry." The man insisted gently, making patting motions with his hands as if to soothe a panicky child. 

"About what?" This was getting down right frustrating! And what the hell was wrong with his nose?!? 

Pain exploded in the back of his head, so sharp and sudden that all he could feel was shock before the floor rose up to greet him. 

"That." The doctor said belatedly. 

__________________ 

(1)All three are pretty close in age and I just couldn't think of any other words besides littermates that would fit. Sadie needs bigger vo-cab-u-lary.   
(2)I saw this picture once of cat/human hybrid with blunted muzzle and cat-y nose. I don't remember where, but that's what Wraith is based on. ::shrug::   
(3)"Hidoi"-translation: "How cruel!" Or "You're mean!" Kind of like calling calling someone a bully. 

To Be Continued.... 


	4. Interogation

::big, wide eyes:: I'm getting _death threats_. Gleep! Okay, the following is a teaser. Prove that not only am I still working on this story...I'm also evil. So, this is a teaser and still has a few more pages to go before its complete. Fear ye not! I _am_ working on this, I've just been...delayed. 

And to the one reviewer...iie, Sadie wa baka ja aremasen. 

________________________ 

The door snapped open, cracking against the wall as Wraith entered the room, her eyes gong instantly to where Lynx was drabbed dejectedly on the couch. Before the boy had a chance to react, the larger female had him pinned to the floor. 

"What *are* you doing lazing around in here?" She snapped at him, teeth closing distressingly close to the end of his nose, "They've done something with Kitten!" 

"I know!" He snarled back, thrashing under her greater strength. He tried to bring his knee up and into her stomach, but she kept it securely trapped under her own legs. 

"So? What are we going to do about it?" Wraith inquired almost sweetly, bringing her face down towards his and sniffing at the scent glands behind his ear. He went limp for a moment, then tensed, muscles gathering as he shoved upwards, managing to roll Wraith under him. 

"What the hell can we do?! Against the Doctors, this place…." He shouted, voice trailing off on the last few words. Wraith blinked at him, her strange eyes seeming to soften. 

"Well, well," she sang out, "Scared little cat going to give up…" Abruptly her head snapped sideways, teeth sinking into the soft flesh of his hand where he was holding her shoulders down. He screamed in protest, jerking back. She released her hold and lunged forward, trying to pin him again. He twisted to avoid bashing his head on the table and lashed out with his fist. She caught it and his other hand, pinning both above his head and kneeling painfully on his stomach. He gagged, face twisting up into a snarl at this more serious turn in their play fighting. 

"I am tired," she hissed into his face, claws worrying the fragile skin on the inside of his wrists, "of dancing to the whim of others. Causing suffering toward my kin will no longer be tolerated!!" 

"Ya think I like it any more then you?" Lynx demanded, a soft rumbling growl building in his chest, "That I enjoy knowing what these people could do to us?! I hate it! But there's no way to fight it! No escape! This is it, forever!" His eyes were misting up and he fought the tears that threatened. The growling in the back of his throat grew in strength as Wraith continued to confine him. 

Wraith blinked. "You're bleeding. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bite you so hard." She shifted off of him, releasing his hand and bringing the injured one to her face. Gently, she lapped up the droplets of blood. Lynx pushed himself up and yanked his hand away. 

"Stop it! That's gross." He frowned at her and checked over the wound. It wasn't too bad, just deep enough to break the skin. Already the bleeding had stopped. "You're such a freak!" 

"Hmm." She shrugged, unbothered. "You're not really one to be calling names." She flicked her talons at some of the carpet fuzz, eyes downcast. The submissiveness in her demeanor bothered him-the wound wasn't that serious-and he lightly brushed his hand through her hair. She glanced up at him through her lashes, the wild green of her eyes glinting. "We shall no longer suffer the will of others." Her tone was deadly serious. 

Lynx watched her uncertainly, the instinctive urge to follow/obey warring with his own fears. His nostrils flared as he took in her scent. "How?" 

"I…" Here she faltered. "I am not certain, but," she growled softly at the disbelieve on his face, "But there is a way." Her lips curled up slightly. "Wait. Wait, what happened to make them lock Kitten away? You were with him today, what did he do?" 

Lynx dropped his head and scooted back from her. "He vanished from tha club. I looked for 'im all over and couldn' find 'im anywhere. I went to tha hotel and he wasn' there either, so I headed back home. They *knew*," he stressed uneasily, aware of the growing hostility in her scent, "They knew he'd wan'ered off and ased me where he coulda gone. I told---I told 'em I came 'cross some people that had his scent on 'em. But it was such a touchy place, it coulda been nothin'." 

A growl had been building steadily in Wraith's throat and she let it free in a soft scream. "Idiot. That hardly matters to the people here." She stood in a fluid motion, muscles rippling beneath her skin. "I've got business to attend to. Keep your ears open." 

"Business?" He demanded, surprised. She always confused him when she bounced from deranged lunatic to reasoning individual. From the few glimpses he got, she must have been one smart cookie before the company started screwing with her. 

"Even beaten puppies are useful." Wraith giggled at him, lashing out with her hand and shredding a chunk of the couch. Bits of fluffs drifted on the air-conditioned breeze. "Ja ne, baby cat." 

In a flash of movement, Wraith was gone from the room, the door banging the frame behind her. Still crouched on the floor, Lynx stared after her. Breathing in deeply, he stood and began checking to make sure the bugs he'd disabled were still out of commission. 

______________ 

The air was thick as cotton, chocking his throat and clogging in his chest. Duo twisted, lungs laboring to pull in more oxygen. His entire body ached, muscles drawn tight and throbbing with pain. Struggling to draw in air, Duo turned onto his stomach and pushed himself up with his arms. [Where am I? What happened?] 

He opened his eyes and closed them just as quickly as the room spun around him. He had the vague impression of an expanse of empty blue gray. Hyperventilating now, he tried to focus on his surroundings through the swimming in his mind. Slightly soft surface under his hands and knees, the pressure of the air around him spoke of enclosed space, a steady pounding in his ears, but that could have been his own blood. 

Details were getting harder to pay attention to. He yelled as the muscles in his left calf cramped up tight. 

"Where did you go this evening at 7 o'clock?" The question drifted through his thoughts and he answered them without evaluating his words. 

"To 'Scarlet Wings' with Lynx." Each word was panted out between a desperate gasp for breath. Fine tremors shook his frame. [I hurt…air. I need air. Please let me breathe, please.] 

"How long were you there?" 

"Hour or more." [Careful, careful.] A firm distant voice whispered out of the dizzy chaos. [They're searching for something, watch what you say.] 

"Where did you go after that? Answers us honestly." 

"Met up with (gasp) some guys and girls, went with them to their place." Shaky arms gave out from underneath him and he screamed as more muscles tightened unbearably. 

"Then what happened. If you tell the truth, we will administer the drug." 

The powerful, all consuming need to breathe nearly forced the whole truth from his lips, but something else fought it back. "We hung out together for a few hours." Ideas and possibilities flashed through his mind like lightening. "Drank, messed around. Nothing serious." He couldn't feel his body anymore for the pain. Talking was becoming steadily impossible. 

There was a jolt in his right leg. Instantly, air started moving easier into lungs. Still not enough, more like when he first woke up. He thoughts cleared a fraction. [Interrogation. They're interrogating me.] 

"Continue." 

Duo babbled on, giving random details about their conversation and then about an argument where they wanted him to stay and he wanted to go back to his hotel room. He told how he had gone to the hotel a short while later, hung out there, and left when Lynx didn't show. In his mind, he selected random people from the many in the club and described them in vague, haphazard detail when asked. 

Finally, finally they gave him a full injection and the air that filled him had never been sweeter. He didn't know how long he lay there, just breathing and trying to ease the agony in his body. After a time his head cleared, kick starting his thoughts. 

[They know I wondered off where I shouldn't have been. Either Lynx told them or,] his mouth tightened, [They were tracking me. If the tracking part is right, them I'm in deep pucky. Especially if they somehow had listening devices on me. But if they did, then why the hell do this?] 

He stared up the ceiling above him, noticing the steel panels held together with thick rivets. [Unless they just like causing pain, which I don't doubt for a minute. Or they could be testing me, see how much I'd lie them if given the chance. Then again, they may not know exactly what happened and this could just be scare tactics to keep me from wandering off again. Too many possibilities.] 

Rolling his eyes in quick, random scan of the ceiling, he managed to pick out a camera in each of the two corners he could see from his position. [There must be speakers up there too, since the questioner had that 'voice of the universe' sound that comes from an intercom. And where speakers lay, so may audio bugs.] He twitched the leg that had been injected, remembering the compression of the hypo-spray. [But somebody had to have been in here to give me the drug. And I missed them leaving…damn.] He flared his nostrils briefly to try and pick up a scent. 

There were several, more than he expected, all of them overlaid with fear and pain, but he didn't know which were recent and which weren't. Tests had proved that he could pick up scents well over a week old, but he'd never been able to determine the age of an odor without being told. No chance all the scents were recent; he would have noticed that many people regardless of how out of it he was, and it stood to reason that the room was used frequently. 

[Well, that doesn't help me much. Fuck,] letting his eyes flutter closed, Duo sagged against the floor in parody of sleep. He rather doubted they'd be letting him out anytime soon; it was better if they thought him tired and weak from the withdrawal, though that gave him scant advantage. They knew his capabilities---they'd built them after all---and would be extra cautious. 

[But if my luck is holding strong and they don't know I'm a Gundam pilot…well, I may yet have some tricks they can't guess. After all, they had nothing to do with those.] Senses tuned to any change in his environment, Duo lay and breathed and waited. 

__________________ 

To Be Continued..... 

..... 

REALLY!! 


	5. Gathering

**Refer to part One for warning and disclaimer**

Yay, I finally got this part done and posted! Meant to get this out some days ago, but I went on vaction. Sorry about that! Only one or two more parts to go! 

_______________________ 

Tracking devices are splendid little things. 

Especially useful when hunting down errant sometimes-partners and returning them to the loving arms of their compatriots. Or at least a solid beating for lying and running off again. Tracking devices are not, however, completely fail-safe, regardless of what Heero insists (who, when drunk, had been known to go into great and detailed lengths about his favorite mechanical and digital wonders---of which tracking devices were one---but mainly about his Gundam. And what the other pilots have to say about Heero and the Wing Zero Gundam, when he isn't listening, should not be repeated in public). 

So when the little blinking red dot on the tracker screen suddenly went bye-bye at four o'clock in the morning, Trowa wasn't particularly surprised. Quatre would have been equally unsurprised if he were awake and so would Wufei, if he had cared or was even there. 

Heero, on the other had, was completely and utterly shocked. It even showed on his face for all of a second. 

Trowa briefly regretted not being able to catch the expression on film. "Where did it last show?" he asked. 

"Same place its been for the past half an hour." Heero answered in a muted voice, juggling the device a little as if he could make the blinking light appear again by force. He frowned and tossed it on the dashboard, resting both hands on the steering wheel of the sport car they'd jacked. "Hold on, I'm going to stop." 

With no more warning with that, he swerved into a clear spot along the roadside and braked with enough force to jerk Trowa's head forward. Quatre, whose small frame was curled up tightly in the poor excuse for a back seat, was thrown against their seats. He woke up suddenly and quietly, twisting around from a semi-prone position to sitting up straight. He assessed the situation long to determine that they weren't under attack, before slouching back against the seat, apparently to doze off again. Trowa decided not to bother him and scanned their surroundings instead. 

They were well out beyond the reach of the city and trailing suburbs, in the middle of a dry, untamed scrub forest---of a sort the colonies, with their carefully tended woodlands and parks, had never truly replicated. Only the occasional private horse ranch or water tower broke the wilderness. The road leading out from the main through-fare had steadily dwindled down to a twisty, one-and-half lane strip of pavement, bordered heavily with vegetation. It vanished off into the darkness before them. 

The area wasn't entirely deserted; several cars had passed them on their way up, yet the general lack of habitation made it hard to explain a wandering car. Especially one now stopped on the roadside for no apparent reason. 

Triggering the parking brake, Heero slipped deftly out his driving harness and opened the door. Coughing slightly at the cloud of dust stirred up by the tires, he bent over sideways to pull something set next to the seat. The hood popped open, a little light inside coming on. Heero exited the car and went around to look under it; or at least, to give the impression of doing so. 

Trowa stretched his lean frame as best he could in the cramped front seat. Sports cars were not known for their spaciousness. He waited, listening to the soft ticking of the car cooling down and to Heero messing around under the hood. 

After a while, the driver side door re-opened and Heero got back in. His hands were covered in grease. He opened the glove box and sorted through the former owner's registration and insurance information. 

"There is a path on the other side of the road. Dirt, just wide enough for one car. No sign or number, I couldn't tell how well used it is. The signal last appeared in that direction," Heero said casually, giving up on the glove box and checking the storage compartment between the two front seats. Stuffed into that was a handful of McDonald's napkins, and he used them to clean off most of the oil and grit. 

"Do you think that's it?" 

"Possible." 

"Monitored?" 

"We'll assume so," Heero said, stuffing the napkins back into the storage box, "If we're asked, we've been having trouble with the radiator. Pulled over because I heard a strange sound. Didn't see anything wrong." 

Trowa nodded in acceptance of the story. "And why we're here in the first place?" 

"Got lost," Heero shrugged. 

"How original," said Trowa, deadpan. Heero gave him a sour look. 

"Go take a piss." 

Trowa didn't really have to go, but he knew that wasn't what Heero asking for. This was his cue to investigate the dirt road closer. If this operation was as big as Duo's scant details (assuming he wasn't lying) suggested, then it stood to reason that any entrances to their facilities were closely watched, if not guarded. He undid his own harness and opened the door. 

"Don't wake Quatre," he requested, sliding his long legs outside. Heero made soft sound in compliance. Trowa stood up and ambled around the car, sharp green eyes straining to see anything of value in the darkness. A soft, chill breeze carried the scent of dust and dry grass to his nose. 

He found the road, little more than a rutted dirt track, between two heavily overgrown bushes. It was a wonder Heero had spotted it at all. Trowa stopped a few feet to the right of track, dutifully taking the chance to empty what little was in his bladder. From where he stood, the countryside sloped down away from the road, forming a wide shallow valley before rolling upward into the tall hills that dominated the rest of the landscape. The track vanished for some distance, before appearing again, starkly white in the moonlight, just as it led into the hills. 

But it was the oddly square, bulky shadow-within-shadow some few hundred meters down from the road that caught his attention. The lines were too straight and regular for anything but man-made, yet it didn't seem big enough for a full-fledged house. And if he'd noticed anything about rural areas like this, it was that they took advantage of the open space and built large. Even as he watched there was a brief flash of light from the shape. 

That may not bode well. 

Trowa sighed to himself and zipped his pants back up. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he walked casually back to the car. Heero was standing in front of it again, poking around at the engine. While Trowa watched, he pulled back and lowered the hood. Before he had the chance to drop it back into place, the unmistakable sound of a car engine stopped them. They both glanced up at the noise, then at each other. Their eyes locked as Trowa reached their car; he nodded in response to the question in Heero's eyes. The other boy's mouth tightened and he released his hold on the hood, leaning his weight on it to seal it back into the place. 

Car headlights were starting to show at the top of the road just as Trowa got to the passenger side. He pulled open the door and peered inside, catching Quatre's half-open gaze. "Let us take care of it," he told the small blond. Quatre inclined his head in agreement, covering his unfeigned yawn, and shifting back into a semi-prone position so that his face wasn't visible in the window. 

Trowa slid into his seat. Heero was, as far as he could tell, just standing between the open driver's side door and the car itself, picking idly at some grease stuck under his nails. Trowa knew that jumping into the car and speeding off was the most incriminating this they could possibly do, but that didn't stop his instincts from jangling 'run away, run away' as the car they were waiting for made its appearance. 

Heero was watching the car----a truck actually, to judge by the height of the vehicle and the shape of its headlight---come up over a slight rise before it eased onto the main road, but he turned away from it when Trowa slammed his door closed. 

The truck pulled up beside them, the driver---nearly invisible even to their trained eyes---rolled down the window and called out to them, "Having some car trouble?" 

Heero paused in the act of get back into their car. "Radiator's been acting up," he answered back calmly as yellow dust billowed and swirled, "Had it replaced but..." He grunted and made a 'you know how it is' gesture. 

"Yeah, yeah," the driver said in an understanding fashion. "I'm always having trouble with this old thing myself." He patted the dashboard, then leaned further out his window, though still not where they could see him. "Not from around here, are you?" 

"No...looking for an old friend actually," Heero said, slinging a comfortable arm over the top of the car and sort of lounging there. Trowa cocked an unseen eyebrow at the change of their cover story. Thoughts of how such a lie could 'end badly' were purposefully set aside. 

"Really now?" Mild suspicion mingled with friendly curiosity. Perfectly acceptable for a rural man confronting strangers in his territory. Assuming that's all he was. "Well, I know everyone in this area, mind telling me who you're looking for?" 

"Haya Shouri." 

"Hmm, don't know that name." A bit more suspicion entered his voice. 

"Are you sure?" Heero challenged, if politely, "The address was 27651 Farback dr." 

Trowa blinked at the ease with which Heero rattled that off, then eyed the global positioning device that sat in place of the car's stereo. So that's what he had been doing while Trowa was checking out the track. 

The man paused, then let out a low 'huh'. "That's the Kingswell place and they don't get much company. Certainly not anyone---pardon me---so Japanese sounding." His tone darkened despite the continued politeness of his speech. 

Trowa decided it time to help out and leaned across the seats to address Heero. "I told you that bitch gave you the wrong number," he announced loudly, deliberately speaking cruder than he normally would. 

He couldn't see Heero's face, but he did hear the annoyance the Wing pilot injected into his tone. "I wouldn't put it past her. Crap." He rapped his fist on top of the car. 

"An 'old friend', huh?" the truck driver grunted doubtfully. But he wasn't suspicious anymore. They'd past his test. 

"Ex-girlfriend, actually," Heero admitted, bitterly this time, "Been trying to get my stuff my back, but the damn woman keeps on eluding me. Are you sure you haven't heard of a Haya Shouri around here?" 

"Not a word of one. Well, shame about that," the man continued, leaning back and gripping the wheel in preparation to go, "Good luck tracking her down!" He waved and started off, if slowly. 

"Thanks for the help," Heero called back, swinging his leg into the car. He wasted no time in gunning the engine and releasing the brake. "The only way out is back the way we came." He said softly to Trowa, spinning the wheel around with an expert touch. "Looks like we're going to be following him out." 

Trowa grunted in acknowledgement, vaguely wondering what their next step was. Quatre stirred uncomfortably in the backset. "Heero with a girlfriend," he spoke up softly, "That's a strange thought." 

Heero didn't respond to the gentle gibe, only focused on his driving. Trowa smiled very faintly, reaching back to touch Quatre's hair, sliding his fingers over the silken strands. Quatre turned his face into Trowa's hand, softly kissing Trowa's slim fingers. 

"What now?" Trowa asked of Heero, reluctantly removing his hand from his lover's face. The car jostled as they went through pothole. Heero didn't answer, but Trowa could see the glimmer in his eyes that meant he was planing. He'd get his answer when Heero was ready to give it. Trowa shifted, stretched his legs out as best he could in the cramped space, and settled into a light doze. 

______________________ 

Long, light gray hairs tipped with black ran the length of his back, starting at the high arch of his forehead and ending somewhere below the dark shorts that were his only clothing. His face was elongated well past human standards, though not so much as to render speech impossible. He carried himself like some quadruped that had tried to stand upright only to get bored and give up halfway through the attempt. His hands were massive and fashioned with blunt claws, the muscles of his arms and legs bulging obscenely. 

He was Kizoku, the so-called 'alpha' of the wolf hybrids and she'd had to bluff and bully her way into speak with him. The four other wolf hybrids were particular about their leader's privacy and always made a big show about letting one so unworthy as herself before him. There was more snarl and snap to it than any real fighting; they were far too beaten down to engage in any real fighting outside a practice ring. 

Wraith rested before him in a comfortable half-crouch, clicking her teeth together in personal amusement. This Kizoku was the most grotesque looking of any of the hybrids, and in her more lucid moments, she suspected that he had been created in this form, rather than altered from a true human. It didn't matter. He held sway over the other Wolves by virtue of his strength and charisma, which is why she desired to see him. What purpose he served the agency was beyond her, for he was kept, unmonitored and ignored, entirely within this section of the complex. 

She watched him as he settled himself into the pile of blankets and cushions that served as his nest, wrapping one thick arm around the human girl sharing it with him. Since Wraith was the only female of any of the hybrids to have survived and since the Wolves left the complex only for business, ordinary women and girls had been brought in to amuse them. It was not a gentle fate; not all of the Wolves cared whether or not their partners were willing. Kizoku, it seemed, wasn't one of that sort, for though the girl's eyes and face were those of one who'd seen far too much for sanity's sake, she also showed signs of honestly caring for the monster. 

Kizoku bore his teeth in something too bloodthirsty to be a smile. "What the fuck do you want?" 

Wraith adjusted her weight to ease a discomfort in her thigh and answered plainly, "A better home. Wanna help me get it?" 

Kizoku snorted, wrinkling up his brow in a way more threatening than thoughtful. "I'd sooner rip your throat out." 

"That would be counter productive," Wraith said, sounding genuinely confused by the statement, "I'd rather go out in a blaze of glory and take a few dozen others with me." She passed into a considering silence, staring at a point beyond Kizoku's shoulder. He made a gruff warning sound at her and the hybrid behind her stirred in agitation. 

"The killing I understand," he said slowly, as if from another conversation, nuzzling into his woman's neck. Intelligence flashed briefly beneath the base animal instincts in his wild brown eyes. Strength wasn't the only reason he ruled the Wolves. "But we kill and then, no drugs." 

Wraith hissed at that, her mind working. Yes, yes, that was the real issue. How to survive without the injections. Well, there was one potential solution to that. "We search the complex, find the drugs. Use how *we* want." 

Kizoku's woman actually perked up at that, gazing at him with something that could be called hope. Kizoku whuffed, his expression calculating. "Have to kill everyone then." 

"Yeah, so?" Wraith sniffed idly at the scents of sweat and sex that permeated the room. 

"Stop us," protested the Wolf that guarded the door, the extent of his speaking abilities. Though almost entirely human in appearance, his modifications had badly damaged the speech centers of his brain. 

"Yeah, yeah," Wraith scoffed, "That's why we don't do it *now*. Later, when they're distracted." 

There was another long pause. Then, Kizoku said, slowly at first but with gaining certainty, "When distraction comes, we'll kill and keep killing. Until no one to stop search." He suddenly fixed Wraith with a fierce glare. "But you find drugs first, you share them with pack. You don't, and we kill you too." 

Damn, there went that idea. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going to work on that distraction." She stood in a liquid ripple of motion and stalked out of the room, replying to the door guard's snap with one of her own. Now came the hard part of her plan. 

Actually doing it. 

___________________ 

To be continued.... 


End file.
